In a number of African Traditional Religions there exists a varying sense of morality. In Mama Lola author Karen McKarthy Brown states that Vodou morality is a “survival ethic.” Brown goes further and states that morality in Vodou is tailored to the situation and to the specific person or group involved. Brown elaborates by stating that Each spirit has a moral pull, but no one spirit prevails in every situation (Brown pg.242). One of Brown's best explanations of why this is so is because there is no Golden age in the past and no heaven in the future so nothing is valued higher than survival of oneself and the survival of one's group. (Brown pg.242). Furthermore, Vodou is not a religion that promises a dues ex machina (a god that appears and solves a problem). (Brown pg.242). On the other hand, what Vodou does offer is empowerment to fix or do whatever a person wants and allows them to do it for themselves (Brown pg.242). An example of this tailored morality and survival method for women is when they are pregnant, the naming of a father for their child is a part of their strategy (Brown pg.243). Due to Vodou being a religion of survival, it counsels what it must to ensure survival (Brown pg.254). The downside to this lifestyle Brown shares is that it can become brittle and threatened by inner rage (Brown pg.257).
When critiquing Vodou you have to look at it in the lens made specifically for it. In Vodou with having this tailored morality it cannot be compared to Christianity though some of the terminology is similar the roles that spiritual beings and leaders within this community act out function differently. The Iwa who possess Alourdes are often called sen-yo (saints), but they are not saintly in the traditional Christian se...
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...eat-grandfather. After him all of her stories follow a line from mother to daughter. Afer Joseph Binbin Mauvant men appear as husbands and lovers who enter the lineage as separate individuals. No stories were told of the parents and siblings of these men and even memories of sons born to the central women have also faded (Brown pg.16).
Gede and Ogou are the quintessential males of the Vodou spirit world (Brown pg. 379). Ogou's heroism and aggression make him very much the man, as do his versions of social irresponsibility and self-destructiveness: infidelity, drunkenness, and lying (Brown pg. 380). Papa Gede has a wife but unlike Kouzinn who's wife is his peer Gede's wife Brijit is his inferior (Brown pg.380). Gede's domination of the real of the dead reflects a time when male ancestors, as well as living males, held all the power in Haitian families (Brown pg.380).
Vodou is a religion that is often misrepresented because of mainstream Hollywood movies. It is a religion that remains an enigma to outsiders, and as a consequence, many incorrect assumptions are made about its practices. To outsiders, Vodou may seem to be based on cursing others with voodoo dolls, sacrificing animals or people, and even being possessed by the devil. However, that is not the case in Mama Lola where an outsider, Karen McCarthy Brown is given an inside view on this secretive religion. Vodou is not as simple as popular culture insinuates, it is a complex religion that involves integrating magic, marriage, possession, and the role of women.
For this essay I have chosen to discuss the Asabano of Papua New Guinea and how they have dealt with death before and after accepting Christianity. I will be addressing this topic in such a way that is true to the Asabano traditions and beliefs. As their practices with regards to how they had approached their deceased are very closely related to their beliefs in ancestral powers, magic, and witchcraft, and had an immense impact on their lives.
Haitian Vodou is the combination of supernatural and mystical components of African religions, along with the ritual basics of Roman Catholicism. They believe that there is one supreme God, but praise spirits, which are recognized as sacred ancestors, African gods, and even Catholic saints. Haitians call these spirits loa. Loas are “African deities who have been inherited through succeeding generations by the descendants of those who brought them to Haiti” (124). It is required to have ritual ceremonies for the loa, so that they can guide, protect, heal, and help those that practice Haitian Vodou. To begin calling down the loa, one must draw the vévé, which is the symbol for the loa on the prayer ground. During these ceremonies, there is a lot of dancing, singing, drumming, prayer, animal sacrifice, and food preparation. Just like Catholicism, a priestess or priest guides the worshipers in the ceremonies. Also in the course of a Vodou ceremony, which ever loa that is being called upon possesses participants to give advice or perform cures. To anyone that does not practice Haitian Vodou, the way these ceremonies are unorthodox, but to Haitians, it is their way of life and what they believe
Vodou gives a method for managing the issues exhibited through magical enchantment, custom, and situational morals that rely on their own context for judgment. Contrasted with the ethical codes of Christianity into which African slaves were constrained, the profound quality introduced in Voodoo was radical, as quite a bit of a wellspring of trepidation and power as the enchantment that whites generally feared in their slave
In the novel Segu, Maryse Conde beautifully constructs personal and in depth images of African history through the use of four main characters that depict the struggles and importance of family in what is now present day Mali. These four characters and also brothers, by the names of Tiekoro, Siga, Naba, and Malobali are faced with a world changing around their beloved city of Bambara with new customs of the Islamic religion and the developing ideas of European commerce and slave trade. These new expansions in Africa become stepping stones for the Troare brothers to face head on and they have brought both victory and heartache for them and their family. These four characters are centralized throughout this novel because they provide the reader with an inside account of what life is like during a time where traditional Africa begins to change due to the forceful injection of conquering settlers and religions. This creates a split between family members, a mixing of cultures, and the loss of one’s traditions in the Bambara society which is a reflection of the (WHAT ARE SOME CHANGES) changes that occur in societies across the world.
The center of discussion and analysis about the sex/gender system focus on the differences between African, European and Creole Women. The sex/gender system describe by Morgan focus on their production, body and kinship. European women are seen as domestic, African women’s work overlaps between agricultural and pastoral. They’ll work in the field non-stop, even after giving birth. African women hold knowledge about the pastoral and agricultural work “in the planting and cultivation of fields the daily task of a good Negro Woman” (145). While Creole women were subordinated, with the job of produce and reproduce. When it came to body, European women’s bodies were seeing as fragile. After birth the rest for a while before they could stand back again or return to their activities “European observers believed the post-delivery period of abstinence lasted three months, and others commented up two- to three year period o...
There are many different cultures and groups of people that we don’t know anything about. There are a lot of people in the world trying to close that gap. People like Catherine J. Allen, author of The Hold Life Has and Napoleon A. Chagnon, author of Yanomamo. In each of their respective books, they brought us closer to societies I had never heard of until now. We learned about the different aspects of the lives of the Sonqo (Allen) and the Yanomamo (Chagnon). They brought us insight on certain things like gender differences, family relationships and how where they live affects their lives. In this following essay, I’ll be discussing gender differences in both the Sonqo and Yanomamo societies as well as how each tribe uses kinship, reciprocity
In Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the theme of perceived masculinity is prominent and portrayed as a critical characteristic which has the potential to shape clans, families, and the safety of others. Because of the emphasis placed on masculinity, women are widely disregarded and downplayed, as they are seen as property. In African culture men are revered due to their warrior-like natures that can uphold the functionality of a clan, but frowned upon when deemed as weak; the result of this fear of weakness led to the dominance of men over women.
All throughout history, the religion of Voodoo, or Vodou, has been hushed, covered up, and considered evil. This background essay will go through the history, the opinions and fears, and a few aspects of rituals. The exact history of the religion is unknown, which only adds to the ignorance and the confusion of Voodoo. Some say it came from the Italian exiles from the Italian Revolution (Hall, 1995) while others say that the origins are elusive (National Geographic). As many as four million individuals practice this official religion.
Brief History From the 1500s to the 1700s, African blacks, mainly from the area of West Africa (today's Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Dahomey, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon) were shipped as slaves to North America, Brazil, and the West Indies. For them, local and tribal differences, and even varying cultural backgrounds, soon melded into one common concern: the suffering they all endured. Music, songs, and dances as well as traditional food, helped not only to uplift them but also quite unintentionally added immeasurably to the culture around them. In the approximately 300 years that blacks have made their homes in North America, the West Indies, and Brazil, their highly honed art of the cuisine so treasured and carefully transmitted to their daughters has become part of the great culinary classics of these lands. But seldom are the African blacks given that recognition.
Diverse from other African authors of his time, Chinua Achebe, the “father of African Literature”, reconstructions the stigma surrounding traditional African tribes through his ground-breaking novel Things Fall Apart. Set in southern eastern Nigeria, the novel depicts village life through the eyes of Igbo clan members prior to colonization. This fresh take on perspective allows readers to view and examine the variety of individuals that mold Igbo life through the story of a village leader, Okonkwo. Contrasting other authors of his time, Achebe takes great measures to illustrate the varied substantial roles of not only men, but women in his novel Things Fall Apart. The contributions accompanied by pivotal roles in Igbo society are displayed
Relationships can be discussed in all aspect of life. Including communities, families, marriage, conflicts, and divorce. The gift of any relationship is the gifts from the spirits. The author uses her African teachings, in comparison to how Americans handle different relationships. In the book, “The Spirit of Intimacy,” Sobonfu Some’s gives wisdom insightful experience of her marriage and about the Dagara people of West African beliefs and traditions when facing conflicts in leading to divorcement.
One of the flaws inside the Ibo culture that eventually leads to their downfall is the social system. The weaker people join the church as a way to gain acceptance. The osu, or outcasts who lived in the Ibo culture want to feel accepted and as a result, follow the Christians. “The two outcasts shaved off their hair, and soon they were the strongest adherents of the new faith” (157). These two outcasts never have the feeling of being a part of the clan. The church welcomes them. The osu cannot cut their hair, marry, or receive a title in the clan. They are “cast out like lepers” (157). The church welcomes the osu and treats them like human beings. This is where the Ibo social system is at fault. An ideal job is to be a farmer and since not everyone can afford seeds and a barn...
Wole Soyinka, like other Nigerian writers, characterizes the conflict of cultural and religious choices in his country and emphasizes the distinct customs of society (Tucker 9). Born into the Yoruba tribe and culture, Soyinka’s writings are clearly influenced by Yoruba culture and practices. Communities and societies in Africa today religiously partake in ancient rituals that some may consider extreme, such as cannibalism and self-mutilation. In the village in The Strong Breed, the extent to which individuals will go in order to rid a community of its sins and faults is tested by the sadistic annual sacrificial killing of an innocent individual for communal benefit. Wole Soyinka introduces ritualistic human societies that expose the ferocity of human beings and emphasize the cruel nature of their members. The moral disgust that permeates the community prior and subsequent to the ritual, the uncommon traits seen in characters triggered by a ritualistic society, and dialogue that highlights increasing ferocity of human beings, brings into question the validity of whether or not ritualistic sacrifice is ultimately beneficial to a community.
Kroeber, A. and C. Klockhohn, Culture: A Critical Review of Concept and Definition. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Kunhiyop, Samuel. A.W. & Waje. African Christian Ethics.